


Late Afternoon

by Badgermole



Series: Not Broken Just Bent [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Auditory Processing Disorder, Autistic Logic | Logan Sanders, Epilepsy, Epileptic!Virgil, Facetime, Focal Seizures, Hard of Hearing, M/M, Seizures, Tests, absence seizures, hard of hearing Roman, lost hoodie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 20:10:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18818134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badgermole/pseuds/Badgermole
Summary: Virgil's test doesn't go well. Logan calls in Roman to help.





	Late Afternoon

“Good afternoon Virgil.” Logan didn’t raise his gaze from his notes, a slight shake in his head as he looked from textbook to notebook.

Virgil gave a grunt as he kicked off his shoes next to the door. Logan’s mouth twitched upward slightly at the acknowledgement. That was a much better sign compared to this morning. Yet as Logan replayed the sound, it didn’t sound right. He couldn’t put his finger on it but the itch of the unknown caused him to look up.

Virgil was standing in the middle of the room, shaking like a leaf while his fists quickly clenched and unclenched. His eyes were screwed shut and his breathing shallow and sporadic.

“Are you currently having an anxiety attack?” Logan inquired tilting his head slightly.

After no response and no change in Virgil’s behavior, Logan tried again with the only other logical option. “Are you currently having a seizure?”

That roused Virgil.

“God! Just because you know now doesn’t mean everything is a freaking seizure!” Virgil yelled and stalked off into his room still shaking.

Logan stayed there blinking confused. He was simply trying to assist and in order to do so, he needed to understand the situation. An anxiety attack was rather different from a seizure. Virgil obviously did not want Logan’s help though. Someone needed to help.

“Roman. Hello.” Logan spoke curtly into the phone.

“One more time?” A tired voice replied.

“Roman, hello.”

“Lo? Why in the world are you calling me?” Roman grumbled and Logan could hear sheets shuffling as the prince pulled himself out of bed.

“Virgil seemed unwell again. I do not have enough knowledge or experience with his seizures to properly categorize the situation. It may have been an anxiety attack or a seizure. As such, Virgil doesn’t seem to be very fond of me currently and I request you come over to handle the situation.”

The other end of the line was silent.

“Roman?” After more silence, Logan pulled the phone away from his ear to see the call had ended. That was rude.

 

Roman smiled as he felt the warmth of Virgil behind him. Virgil was curled up under far too many blankets, mouth slightly open letting drool pool on his pillow. He had rushed over as quickly as he could after Logan’s call. All he had caught from Logan’s ramblings was Virgil and seizure before he bolted out of his apartment. Letting himself in, Roman barreled past Logan and knocked lightly on Virgil’s door before letting himself in.

Virgil was standing wide-eyed and frozen in the middle of his room. The other was still shaking and his chest was heaving erratically. Roman carefully and slowly slipped into the room closing the door behind him. Roman held out his arms inviting Virgil in for a hug. Virgil shook his head.

They had stayed like that for a while, standing silently watching each other. Eventually Virgil slowly crawled into his bed, cocooning himself. He sluggishly patted the small space next to him before closing his tired eyes.

It had been an anxiety attack. Honestly, Roman didn’t know which one was worse. He just wished Virgil didn’t have to deal with either. They could both be so rough. There was only so much he could do and none of it could really let him help the way he wanted to.

Virgil shifted and let his arm wrap around Roman’s chest. Roman’s smile grew and carefully laced his and Virgil’s fingers together. Virgil quietly mumbled something, his breath tickling the back of Roman’s neck.

“One more time there Virge?”

Virgil cleared the sleep out of his throat and mumbled again, a bit clearer.

Roman released Virgil’s hand and rolled over so he could face the younger boy. “Just… one more time?”

Virgil blinked open his eyes, taking a moment to focus on Roman’ face. “Thank you for coming over.”

Roman smiled and leaned forward to rub his nose against Virgil’s. “I’m happy you’re okay.”

Virgil shrugged, barely noticeable with all the blankets around him. Roman raised his eyebrows in question but Virgil shook his head.

“Later okay? I need this right now.” Virgil snuggled, pulling Roman closer.

 

Roman groaned and blindly grabbed at the bed around him. Virgil’s warmth… and Virgil were gone. The prince blinked trying to reorient himself.

“Virge?” Virgil was rubbing his arms, wrapped tightly around himself. He was flickering around the room occasionally rummaging through something before throwing it across the room. He was wearing his old black hoodie, immediately sending warning flags up.

“Hey Virgil?” Roman sat up suddenly more awake. Virgil looked up from the pile of clothes he was currently digging through.

“I can’t find my…” Virgil paused, his face slacking for a second. “…sweatshirt.”

“Here, I’ll help you find it, okay?” Roman stood up and quickly searched through Virgil’s blankets.

“I…” Virgil blinked at Roman’s back. “…had a seizure during my test.”

Roman spun around. Yeah, that would’ve sent him into an anxiety attack. “I walked right out Roman! I was wandering around the freaking… hallway!”

Roman wasn’t sure exactly what do to aside from let Virgil let it out and keep watch of his absence seizures. If he could get Virgil to calm his breathing…

“When I came out of it, I just… wasn’t wearing my sweatshirt anymore. I went back to the classroom my normal way but it… wasn’t anywhere.”

“Okay. I don’t think it’ll be in here then.” Roman tread carefully over to Virgil. Virgil let his shaking hands be wrapped inside of Roman’s. “They have a lost and found. Right? We can go check there okay?”

Virgil nodded feverishly. “Yeah. Yeah we should go. Go check the lost and found.”

Virgil pulled his hands back and wrapped his arms tightly around himself.

“How about we just take a second?” Roman suggested and motioned toward Virgil’s overly stickered laptop. “We can look up where it is and find its hours.”

Roman grabbed laptop off the desk and sat on the edge of Virgil’s bed. Roman waited for Virgil’s absence seizure to end before patting the bed beside him. Virgil shook his head and said something that Roman didn’t catch. Once again Roman patted the bed but this time with the best puppy dog eyes he could muster. Virgil was still twitchy and anxious but curled up into Roman’s side.

Roman started searching through the horribly put together school website. The page was taking forever to load. Roman look a deep breath.

“You’ve been having some absence seizures.” Roman whispered. He really didn’t want to stress Virgil out anymore, but it was important for Virgil to keep track of his seizures. “At least…uhm…six? You were hyperventilating a bit.”

Virgil mumbled something and pushed deeper into Roman’s side. Roman didn’t bother asking what he had said, he just had to find Virgil’s sweatshirt then everything would be okay.

 

Virgil jolted up right and flung himself off the bed. He quickly shook out his hands. Roman looked up from the forever loading webpage. Virgil squeezed his eyes shut before slowly blinking them open. He started to slowly wander around the room occasionally shaking out his hands again. A quiet murmuring was coming from Virgil but Roman couldn’t figure out if it was actual words or just random sounds.

“I think I’m having a seizure.” Virgil announced. Roman had no idea what he was supposed to respond with. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Virgil be aware during his seizures, maybe it was one of those aura things?

“It’ll be okay.” Roman tried.

“I think I’m having a seizure.” Virgil’s voice started to fill with fear. Roman closed the laptop. They would find the purple patched sweatshirt some other time. The frightened boy started repeatedly gulping.

“I ‘hink ‘m ‘avin’ a siss.” Virgil squeaked out.

“It’ll be alright. I promise Virgil.” Roman really wanted to just wrap Virgil in a tight hug but he had to let Virgil’s brain and body do what it needed to. “It won’t be long.”

Virgil continued his frantic mumbling but as he continued, Roman understood less and less. “I know its bad right now, but I left my ears at home okay? I just… I need you to try to speak louder and clearer for me.”

Roman honestly couldn’t tell if Virgil understood and was trying or not, but Roman couldn’t still couldn’t figure out what Virgil was going on about. Okay, okay. Roman quickly stuck his head into the hall, but the rest of the apartment was dark.

“I’m just going to call Logan. I want to make sure if you need something I know.” Roman quickly explained as he pulled his phone from his pocket. Logan would understand and let Roman know. Sure Patton knew more about Virgil’s seizures and what to do, but Logan was better at communicating with Roman when his hearing wasn’t that great.

Virgil continued wandering around gulping and mumbling. Roman upped the volume on his phone and waited for Logan to answer his facetime call. If Roman was paying more attention he would have noticed Logan’s slicked back hair and nicer than normal attire or the trees and stars around him.

“Roman.” Logan greeted a bit agitated.

“Look Virgil’s having a seizure and I just need to know if he’s saying anything important. I can’t understand him and I just… if he needs help.” Roman turned the phone toward Virgil hoping that the phone would pick up the other as he moved around.

The phone was silent. If could have been only a few seconds or 20, but it was too long for Roman. He pulled the phone back around to himself. “Logan! I need-“

“Please hold on. He is not speaking very clearly.” Logan spoke slowly.

“Sorry.” Roman spoke, barely a whisper.

“I believe he is saying three phrased in a repetitive fashion. ‘I am having a seizure.’ ‘My sweatshirt.’ And your name.” Logan supplied. Roman hear someone speak on Logan’s end and Logan looked away from the phone.

“Patton wants to know if we should return home.” Logan turned back toward the camera.

Roman quickly shook his head. “It’ll be over before you get back. I’ve got it. Thanks Logan.”

Roman hung up and tried is best to give Virgil words of comfort. Soon enough, the wandering, mumbling, and gulping started to slow. Virgil slowly made his way back to his bed and laid down with his head in Roman’s lap. As Roman waited for the other to speak first, he gently ran his fingers through Virgil’s mess of hair.

Virgil mumbled something and turned so he could stare up at Roman. The later gave a small smile and Virgil repeated himself. “Another one?”

“Yeah. You remember it?” Roman asked letting his fingers snake around Virgil’s hand.

“I, uh, I got up. There was an aura for a bit. I told you, uh, I told you I was going to have one.”

Roman wasn’t really sure if he was relieved or not. “Yeah. You did.” Roman smiled at that. He was really thankful for the bit of warning. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“My hand is numb.” Virgil sighed looking at his limp hand in Roman’s. It twitched slightly as he tried to close it.

“It had been shaking quite a bit at the start.” Roman noted and gently helped fold Virgil’s fingers around his hand.

“I hope it won’t be long. I have work I need to do.” Roman let out a light chuckle and shook his head. “What? The world doesn’t stop just because I had a seizure.” Virgil grumbled and went to move his hand away from Roman’s grasp.

“No, no, no.” Roman stopped him. “It was just a bit of a tense one for me. You were mumbling a lot. I wasn’t sure if you were aware or not and I just couldn’t figure out what you were saying.”Virgil looked back up at Roman’s face to see him trying to blink away tears. “If you were trying to tell me you needed help. I just… I called Logan. I had to call Logan to make sure you were okay.”

Roman gave a quick glance down at the boy who was starting to get his color back. His eyes darted away as his met Virgil’s. Even with all of his auditory issues, he still somehow performed and sang and lived independently. But times like this always reminded him that he wasn’t okay.

“Stop.” Virgil sluggishly moved upright and wrapped his one arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “You were here. You did great. I’m still here and I didn’t injure myself or anything. Okay? I don’t care that you needed to call someone. Sometimes Patton even has to call for help. It’s okay.”

Roman closed his eyes, in part to hide his tears but also to process Virgil’s sluggish and slightly slurred speech.

“Your ears still poke out from you head.” Virgil smiled and flicked Roman’s ear.

“Well at least I’m not a stripper.” Roman smiled.

The pair curled back under all the blankets laughing.


End file.
